By Love Enslaved (14 page)

His mood greatly improved, Brendan again made himself comfortable and enjoyed what he swore was the most delicious bread and cheese he had ever eaten. By the time Soren, Thora, and the twins were scampering about, he had finished eating and had quenched his thirst with ale. In an ebullient mood, he remained close to the children, who were playing a spirited game of tag, but Dana was never out of his thoughts. The beautiful young woman had again confused him completely, but he hoped before too much longer he would understand her better than she understood herself.

As they continued to sit together, Erik was grateful for Dana’s presence, for she kept the conversation flowing smoothly without the awkward pauses they had experienced when he and Berit had spoken alone. The two young women were a delightful pair, witty and sweet, and he enjoyed sitting between them so much that he was completely relaxed and in no hurry to return home. Just hearing the bright sparkle of their laughter and watching the prettiness of their smiles made his day complete.

Berit toyed with the end of her braid as time and again her gaze lingered on Erik’s face. He had a slight cleft in his chin, and she couldn’t help but wonder if her thumb wouldn’t fit that indentation perfectly if she reached over to draw his mouth to hers. She had not forgotten that he had kissed her good-bye the last time they were together, and she hoped he would take the same liberty that day.

Dana was also enjoying the beauty of the afternoon, but she grew increasingly aware of the intensity of the glances that were passing between her cousin and her half brother. Berit had always been flirtatious, but she seemed even more so that day, while Erik’s wide grins and deep laughter continually encouraged the blonde to be coy. They might have grown up together, but Dana was quite perceptive and noticed the difference in the way Berit and Erik treated each other now.

She envied them their enjoyment of what appeared to be a budding romance, but at the same time, she knew that Grena was unlikely to think Erik a proper suitor for her only daughter. If the two were merely flirting to pass the time on a lazy afternoon, that was one thing, but if it was an indication of feelings that were far deeper, she feared they would face many problems to solve. She recalled Jarald, and her blissful mood was spoiled. She excused herself to go check on the children, who had all disappeared into the woods, although their laughter could still be heard.

“I know the boys won’t come to any harm, but I want to make certain Thora isn’t trying too hard to keep up with them,” Dana explained as she rose to her feet.

Erik shaded his eyes as he looked up to gauge the position of the sun. “Wait. We ought to be going soon. I’ll go and get them.”

“No, sit still, I’ll do it.” Dana waved as she started off in the direction from which the last boisterous shouts had been heard. She was eager for a bit of exercise to clear her mind of thoughts of Jarald and her regrets for the unwanted romance she had been foolish not to discourage from the very beginning.

Unable to believe her luck, Berit watched Dana enter the trees before she turned back to face Erik. “Did you plan this outing today so we’d have a chance to be together?” she asked, an impish sparkle dancing in her eyes.

Erik stared at his pretty companion, amazed she would make such an assumption in light of the subject of their two disastrous conversations at her house. “No,” he denied. “This was Freya’s idea.”

“Really?” Berit licked her lips suggestively as she moved closer to his side. “That was very sweet of her.”

“Berit,” Erik pleaded with a low moan as she leaned closer still. He knew he ought to get up and start gathering everything so they would be ready to go when Dana returned with the children. His body, however, refused to obey such a sensible command.

Berit reached out to caress his cheek, and knowing exactly what she wanted most, she dropped her hand to his shoulder and pulled him forward. “Come here,” she whispered seductively. Their lips met, and she sighed softly, immensely pleased to feel him slip his arms around her waist rather than draw away.

Erik thought himself pitifully weak where Berit was concerned, but for the moment he wanted only to enjoy himself. He savored her first kiss, and then another, and soon the taste of her was so delicious he had lost count of how many times his lips had received a sweet response from hers. Her perfume was a delicate floral fragrance that blended perfectly with the fresh scents of the sunlit afternoon, and he began to worry that he might never have his fill of her enticing affection.

Dana followed the sounds of the boys’ voices and Thora’s high-pitched giggles. They were running to and fro, still playing tag as they dashed in and out of the trees. She called out to them, but they were so absorbed in their game they didn’t hear her.

Brendan didn’t hear Dana either, but when he caught sight of her approaching, he hid behind a tree. While he hadn’t joined in the children’s games, he had been enjoying watching them and was in a decidedly playful mood. When the lithe redhead reached his hiding place, he stepped out and caught her hand.

“I didn’t have a chance to thank you properly for providing me with one of the most splendid meals I’ve ever had the privilege to eat,” he began with a ready grin.

While he had startled her, Brendan’s mood was so lighthearted Dana was neither frightened nor offended. “You must have had some very bad meals then,” she responded at the same time she tried to withdraw her hand from his, but he didn’t release her. Instead, he not only tightened his grasp, but drew her near.

Brendan watched as Dana’s lashes fluttered slightly. She had the most incredibly lovely eyes he had ever seen, and he knew the rest of her delectable body was just as beautiful. He dared step no closer, for his desire for her would have been shockingly plain if he pressed against her. “Don’t forbid me to repay you in the only way I can,” he ordered firmly, but his smile was charming rather than threatening.

Enveloped in the warmth of his easy embrace, Dana had only a split second to decide she liked Brendan’s smile ever so much better than his frown. His mouth covered hers, and when she tried to protest, his tongue slid between her lips to muffle the sound. He kissed her the same way Jarald always had, with a fierce possessiveness that both appalled and repelled her. Rebelling against such unwanted domination, she reached for her knife, but Brendan’s hand locked around her wrist before she could free it from its sheath at her belt.

“I’m too valuable to kill,” he scolded as he released her from the near suffocating kiss, but he continued to grip her hand tightly. “How could you have forgotten that?” Brendan’s expression was far from charming now. He was staring down at her, a scornful sneer twisting his handsome features into a mask of hatred.

“How dare you be angry with me?” Dana exclaimed. “How dare you?”

Brendan considered the question absurd. “I only wanted to kiss you. You needn’t have tried to kill me,” he shouted right back at her.

“I was not trying to kill you!” Dana shrieked, and then fearing the children would overhear their argument, she lowered her voice to a discreet, if still belligerent, whisper. “You are not supposed to kiss me, and most especially not like that.”

“What angered you most? That I kissed you, or the way that I did it?” Brendan relaxed his hold on her wrist, but when she only glared at him he didn’t release her. “Must I wait until you want to kiss me to learn what you like?”

“That will be an exceedingly long wait,” Dana hissed through clenched teeth. “It’s time to go. Call the children.”

The sharply voiced order was like a slap in the face, and Brendan reacted just as negatively. “Call them yourself. I’ll see to the horses.” He dropped her hand and turned away, but the sound of a scream stopped him cold. Certain it was Thora who was shrieking hysterically, he sprinted off toward the sound.

Dana grabbed her flowing tunic to keep from tripping over the hem and followed right after him. Brendan ran with the same fluid coordination that marked all his motions, and while she couldn’t begin to keep up with him, fortunately they didn’t have far to go.

The more talkative of Grena’s twins, Olaf, saw Brendan dashing toward them and ran to meet him. “Thora climbed a tree to hide from us, and now she can’t get down. Soren went up after her, and that’s when she started screaming. She’s afraid he’ll drop her if he tries to carry her down.”

Brendan was glad to see that Soren cared enough about his little sister to make such an effort, but it was as obvious to him as it was to Thora that her brother wouldn’t be strong enough to bring her down the tree safely. They were perhaps fifteen feet off the ground, a distance he knew must seem enormous to the stranded child. “Come down, Soren, and I’ll go up and get her.”

Soren opened his mouth to argue, but when Thora began to wail even louder, he was so insulted he gave up his attempt to rescue her. “You stay put, you hear?” he told the frightened child before swinging himself down to a lower branch.

When Soren reached the ground, Dana drew him into an affectionate hug before scolding him. “You were supposed to keep an eye on your sister. What happened?”

Soren mumbled the same explanation Olaf had given, then pulled free of Dana’s arms. His face showing disgust at the situation his little sister had gotten herself into, he went over to stand beside the twins.

“Don’t worry,” Brendan boasted confidently to Dana. “I’ll bring her right down.”

“Wait, I’ll go and get Erik,” Dana insisted, and she reached out to grab Brendan’s arm.

“I can do it,” the slave assured her. He brushed her hand away, and with an agile leap he started up the tree.

By the time Brendan reached her, Thora’s screams had lessened to mere whimpers, but tears were still streaming down her cheeks. Her resemblance to Dana was so striking he couldn’t help but wonder if she had also been such an adventuresome child. Deciding she must have been, he reached out to pat Thora’s knee sympathetically, wishing all the while that he might someday have such a good excuse to touch Dana.

“Don’t cry, little one. Do you think you can put your arms around my neck so I can carry you down on my back?”

Thora sniffed loudly before she spoke. “Yes, but I should have been able to get down all by myself.”

“Going up is always easier than getting back down. I don’t know how many times I got stuck up in a tree before I discovered that.”

“You got stuck in a tree?”

“Had to sit there all night one time.” Brendan kept talking, embellishing his tale as she clasped her tiny hands around his neck. Taking a firm grip on her arm so there was no danger that she might fall, he continued to recount the horrors of that unfortunate night until he at last reached the ground.

Erik stepped up to take Thora, but the spirited child insisted on having Brendan carry her back to the horses. Pleased that she felt so secure with him, the slave looked back over his shoulder and called to Dana, “You can thank me later for saving your sister’s life.”

Because she knew exactly how he would like to be thanked, Dana’s cheeks flooded with a bright blush. “Come on, boys, let’s go,” she called brightly, and hoping they wouldn’t notice the depth of her embarrassment, she quickly followed Brendan.

When Soren and the twins had walked by them, Erik bent down to give Berit one last kiss. He had never thought merely kissing a woman could be so enjoyable, but he was grateful Thora’s screams had interrupted them before he had been tempted to lead the affectionate blonde any further.

Berit, however, thought it a terrible shame that she had had so little time alone with Erik. Brightening at the thought of the evening that lay ahead, she slipped her arm through his and took care not to trip and fall as they left the woods.

When they returned home, Dana cautioned the children to keep Thora’s mishap a secret from her mother and aunt. Then she and Berit entered the house to help with the preparations for supper. Soren and Erik busied themselves with the falcons, and Brendan was left to care for the horses. He loved roasted pheasant as much as the rest of them, but after his latest argument with Dana, he wasn’t sure she would send him any supper, let alone some of the scrumptious game bird.

Dana, however, had no way to deprive Brendan of a fine meal without revealing that the arrogant slave had kissed her, and she was far too embarrassed to admit that. She had to bite her tongue when Berit described to Grena what a help the Celt had been in supervising the children that day. Dana knew Brendan was very helpful at times, but in her opinion he continually created far more problems than he solved.

“You’re not sorry that he’s here then?” Grena asked Freya, her expression tinged with a hint of doubt.

“Why, no,” the delicate woman assured her sister. “He’s a very agreeable sort. He’s been no trouble at all.”

Dana couldn’t bear to hear another word of praise for the slave she considered insufferably conceited and demanding. She moved into the kitchen to watch the pheasants roasting on the spit and saw that half of the first one was placed on Brendan’s tray. Again insisting Moira carry his meal, she left the house determined to introduce the petite servant properly that evening. Unfortunately, when they reached Erik’s house, they found it empty.

“Wait a moment, Moira,” Dana insisted. “Maybe Brendan hasn’t finished grooming the horses. You wait here while I check the stable.”